Automobile.



' E. E. SMEETH.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLlcATlon man mus. 1911.

Patntgd Jan. 29', 1918.

EDWIN E. summa, or ou AUTOMOBILE. v

Application filed January 8, 1917. Serial No. 141,328.

TQ all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, EDWIN E. SMEETH, a citizen of the UnitedStatea'and a resident of Oak Park, in the'county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobiles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying draw ings.

My invention relates to automobiles of the type driven by internal combustion engines, and it has for its principal object the provision of 'a new and improved arrangement of means for controlling the temperature of the cylinders, the carbureter, and other associated parts of the engine whereby a greatly improved volatilization of the'fuel may be procured with an attendant great efficiency in operation of the engine. In the operation of an internal combustion engine in which cold air is taken directly through the radiator and thrown upon the cylinders, Gold sections or zones are established in the radiator, permitting a portion at least of the air to reach the cylinders, -the carbureter, and the fuel tank with little lif any pre-heating. This results in a decidedly inefficient operation of the engine owing to thev poor vaporization, poor mixing,` &c., ythe number of miles of travel attainable per gallon of fuel being correspondingly small. vIt is one `ofthe objects of my invention to provide for leading the air to the radiator by a more or less circuitous route along whichl the .air will necessarily become warmed by mixture with previously warmed air and by Contact with the radiator and other adjuncts of the engine. It is one of the more specific objects of my invention to provide an arrangement by which the air is led a plurality of times through the radiator before it is directed upon the cylinders by the fan. It is anotherobjectof my invention to provide an arrangement providing removable bailleplates which can be employed during cold weather for protecting the cylinders from the cold air at the point of entrance of such air, serving to direct such cold air in a way to insure its being properly warmed before coming in. contact with the cylinders, such plates being adapted to be removed during warmer weather if their continued use proves to be unnecessary. It is another ob- ]ect of my invention to provide an arrangement providing an air space or oven in v necessary to describe such front of the radiator, with means in connection therewith for feeding air thereto I by an indirect route, means being provided for regulating the entrance of the cold air as l may be desired-without permitting it to pass directly upon the cylinders, the temperature of the engine being thus controlled. 4It is another object of my invention to provide sundry improvements as hereinafter pointed out. The preferred means by which I have accomplished my several objects are .illus- Specicatinof Letters Patent. Patented Jal129, 191.8. v I

trated in the drawings and are hereinafter more specically described. That which I believe to be new and desire to cover by this application is set forth in the claims.

1n the drawings: I j v l Figure lis a plan view, partly in section, showing the arrangement of the engine of an automobile'and illustrating the circulatsion of the air under the influence of the an; Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section,

vof the forward end portion of the part shown in Fig. l; and i Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.- 1, but

l showing a modified form of construction.

Referring to Figs. 1- and 2, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters,

10 indicates the dash-board of an automol 10. A radiator 17 of any suitable type is located in front of the engine 11 for cooling the water circulating through thejacket of the engine 1l, as is wellunderstood in the art, the radiator 17 being provided with horizontalopenings extendin therethrough longitudinally of theautomoile A fan 18 is `operatively connected with the engine 11 in any suitable manner so as to draw a quantity of air through the adjacent central portion of the radiator 17. The construction so far described is well understood in the automobile art, and it is believed-to be unparts in further detail herein. f

In order to prevent the air, drawn through the central part of the radiator 17 by the fan 18, from passing directly backward through l the radiator from the atmosphere without cold weather as can cous mixture thereto,

Fig. 2, an adjustable shutter across the upp previous warming. l have provided a casina or oven 19, providing` an air space 20 of some considerable size in front of the radiator. The casing or oven 19 is preferably removable so as to make it possible to lay such casing or oven aside when its use is unnecessary during warm weather. ln connection with the casing or oven l19 l have also provided removable baule-plates 2l-22 at opposite sides of the engine extending backward from the radiator 17, such baile-plates being adapted to control the air forced backward by the fan 18 so as to direct such air upon the cylinders of the engine, upon the carbureter 14, and upon the fuel tank '16. With the baffle-plates 21--22 in position, air is drawn from the air space 20 through the central part of the radiator 17. To take the place of the air so drawn backward through the central part of the radiator, other air-is admitted to the hood through openings 23 in the side walls of the hood, being directe forward by the baille-plates 214-22 so as to pass forward through the radiator 17 into the air space 20 in thecasing or oven 19 where it is mixed with air which has been warmed by contact with the radiator.

By the provision of a circuitous path for the air through the hood and through the radiator before such air can be directed backward through radiator and into contact with the engine, such air is lwarmed very considerably and is tempered so as not to havefcurrents of cold air which would have a tendency to unduly cool parts of the engine. By reason of storing up within the hood an increasing quantity of heated air about the engine, the carbureter and the fuel tank, the vaporization ort the fuel in the carbureter and about the spark plugs is Very greatly improved, whereby a comparatively low test fuel can be employed with very good results. By this means l have been enabled to Vobtain substantially the same results, during extremely be obtained during warm weather.

In order to control the temperature about the engine and the means for feeding gas- .l have provided adjustable shutters at a plurality of. points for admitting air as desired to the air space 20 and for releasing more or less ofthe hot air therefrom. ln the construction shown in 24 is provided er end of the casing 19 through which the hot air is adapted to escape from the air space 20, a second adjustable shutter l5-being provided at the bottom of the casing or oven cold air. In order vto give the air admitted past the shutter 25 a longer and more circuitous path to that portion of the radiator of the shutter25 the central part of Athe under the influence of 19 for admittingl through which the air must pass backward under the influence of the fan 18, ll have pro vided a baffle-plate 26 over the top of which the cold air from the shutter 25 must pass when such shutter is opened. By the rovision of the shutters 2a and 25 and thc affle-plate 26 in connection with the baiileplates `21-22, means is provided for controlling to a nicety the temperature of the air within the chamber 20 and within the hood l2 about the engine and its gas-feeding auxiliaries.

It will be understood that if occasion requires the shutter 24 may be opened in lieu for admission of air to the chamber 20.

By reason of the accumulation of heated air which can be brought about within the hood by the use of my improvements, and by reason of the means provided for regulating the temperature to the'desired degree, it will be understood that the engine may, after being started and heated up with gasolene as d a fuel, be continued in operation by the use of a lower grade fuel which will serve to give very high eiiiciency during a continued operation of the engine. lfon the other hand the higher grade fuel be used continuously, the eiiiciency of the engine is maintained at a very high standard by reason of the great efficiency in vaporization of such fuel.

Referring now' to Fig. 3, in which corresponding parts are indicated by the same reference characters, but with the addition of an exponent a, the construction is substantially the same as that shown in Fig. 1, except for the omission of the baffle-plates 21, 22 and 26. ln place of the bahia-plates '21 and 22, removable battle-plates 27 and 28 are employed, set at an angle, the radiator 17a 12a. ln this position the baffle-plates 27 and 28 provide for a free admission of air through the forward ones of the openings 23a and provide for the escape of the heated air through the openings 23a at the rear end of the hood 12a. By balile-plate 26 from the construction of Fig. 3, the path which .the air must travel from the lowermost portion of the air space 20a to .the part of the radiator opposite the fan 18a is shortened, but the principle ofv operation is still retained,-that is to say, the cold air. is prevented from coming directly'into contact with the central portion of the radiator the fan 18 without having first come into contact with the heated surfaces and the heated air of the casing or oven 19a, any section of the radiator being thus prevented.

So far as ll am aware, l am the first in the art to provide a hot air space or oven directly in front of the central portion of the radiathe omission of the the extreme chilling of extending from to the side wall of the hood tor opposite which the ventilating fan is lo cated, means being provided for admitting air from the atmosphere to such hot air space or oven through a more or less circuitous route, by which the air is prevented from flowing straight backward from the open atmosphere through the radiator, and by v which the air which is forced backward by the fan through the radiator is first warmed by mixture with previously heated air and by contact with heated surfaces of the casing or oven, and my claims are to be con-v an inclosed air space in front of said radiator, means for forcing air backward upon said engine from said air space, and means for admitting air to said air space at its edges only whereby such air must pass partially along the face ofthe radiator before it passes backward through the radiator,

3. In an automobile, the combination of an internal combustion engine, a. radiator in front of said engine, aicasing removably secured in position providing an inclosed air space in front of said radiator, means for forcing air backward through said radiator from said air space and directing it upon said engine, and means for feeding air to said air space at the edges thereof, comprising means for warming such air before it passes backward through the radiator into contact with the engine.

l 4f.' In an automobile, the combination of an internal combustion engine, a'radiator in front of said engine, a casing providing an inclosed air space in front of said radiator, an adjustable shutter adapted to admit air to said air space at one edge thereof, means for causing the air thus admitted into the casing to have a circuitous passage there.-

through, and means for fo1'cing air backward through the radiator from said air space into contact with said engine.

5; In an automobile, the combination of an internal combustion engine, a radiator in ladmitted through one of said openings to have a circuitous passage through the casling, and means for forcing air backward through the radiator from said airspace into contact with said engine.

6. In an automobile, the combination of an internal combustion engine, a radiator in front of said engine, a casing providing an inclosed air space in front of said radiator, adjustable openings adapted to admit air to said air space at its uppermost and its lowermost edge portions, and means for forcing air backward Athrough the radiator from said air space into contact with said engine.

7. In an automobile, the combination of an internal combustion engine, a radiator in front of said engine, a casing providing an inclosed air space in front of said radiator, an adjustable opening adapted to admit air to said air space at its iowermost edge, a battle-plate adapted to direct the air admitted through said opening to the upper portion of said air space before it can pass backward into contact with the radiator, and 'means for forcing air backward through the radiator from said air space into contact with said engine.

8. In anl automobile, the combination of an internalcombustion engine, a radiator in front of said engine, and means for directing and causing air to pass forward from the rear end portion of the engine to said radiator and directly backward through the radiator into contactpwith the engine.

9. In an automobile, thecombination of an internal combustion engine, a radiator 100 in front of said engine, substantially longi tudinally-disposed plates arranged at opposite sides of said engine, and means for drawing air forward along the outer faces of said plates and directing it through the 105 radiator and into contact with the engine between said plates.

10. In an automobile, the combination of an internal combustion engine, a radiator in front of said engine, longitudinally-ex- 110 tending baffle-plates removably secured at opposite sides of said engine, and means for drawing air forward along the outer faces of said baiiie-plates and for directing it through the radiator and into contact with 115 said engine between said baffle-plates.

EDWIN E. SMEETH. 

